256 A TRUE PINE FOUND. ch. x. 



tend through the intervening region when this has become 

 accessible to scientific travellers. 



At two or three spots, during the afternoon, we had 

 noticed fragments of pine cones, which the more excited 

 our curiosity, as up to this we had not seen a true conifer 

 in Marocco, and there was no reason to expect the appear- 

 ance in this region of any other species than the Atlantic 

 Cedar. When asked on the subject, the sheik declared 

 that they had been dropped by strangers who had come 

 from a great distance. The only explanation for a lie, 

 apparently so objectless, is to be found in the deep-rooted 

 suspicion which the mountain tribes feel as to all strangers, 

 but which in the case of the sheik was intensified by 

 religious bigotry. It was satisfactory to find a few trees 

 about the highest point which we reached — 700 or 800 

 feet above the village — and to ascertain that the cones 

 belonged to the Pinus halepensis. It is remarkable that, 

 when questioned, our Jew guide gave for the tree the 

 name Tceda. There is much doubt as to the species which 

 Pliny knew by the name Pinus Tceda, but it is pretty 

 clear that the Eomans applied the name tceda to various 

 species of pine used for torches ; and to this day, in the 

 Italian Tyrol, where brands of Pinus Mughus are com- 

 monly adopted for that purpose, they go by the name of 

 tea. The preservation of the exact Latin term in this 

 remote region, along with that of the furbiune, already 

 mentioned, appears worthy of note. 



Well content with our collections, we returned before 

 sunset, but our good-humour was soon troubled by the re- 

 calcitrant sheik, who seemed resolved to frustrate the 

 main object of our expedition. When our interpreter was 

 charged to arrange with him for our departure early next 

 morning, he returned an answer to the effect that we could 

 go with safety no farther than the village of Iminteli ; 

 that the great mountain was frequented by the Sous 

 people, and could not safely be approached by us ; and this 

 was wound up by a flat refusal to let us proceed any far- 



